Bernard Francis Casey packed his worldly possessions and boarded a train for Detroit, leaving behind his parents’ farm in Wisconsin.

So began the saga of how the Venerable Father Solanus - now being considered by the Vatican for sainthood - came to be a Capuchin.

He was 26. His family (he had 15 siblings) urged him to reconsider moving to the big city, but he was determined. An arduous four years of studying for the diocesan priesthood in Milwaukee was a disappointment and he had spent the summer with his Irish Catholic family toiling in the fields and pondering his future.

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Still feeling unsure as to what his next step should be, Casey began a Novena - a series of prayers - to the Blessed Mother. The prayers are usually said to a specific devotion (or particular saint) for a special intent such as the healing of the sick.

Casey prayed to the Blessed Mary for guidance. Every day for nine days he prayed. On the eve of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 7), the Blessed Mary appeared to him in a dream saying he should go to Detroit and enter the Capuchin Order.

Those who knew the humble priest were not surprised that he spared no time contemplating the move. He had tremendous faith in the power of prayers.

“He arrived here at the Saint Bonaventure Chapel on Christmas Eve,” said Brother Richard Merling, a Capuchin Friar and one of two vice postulators assigned to investigate the favors (aka miracles) attributed to the intercession of Father Solanus.

“He was exhausted and very hungry,” Merling continued. “He had to travel more than 1,000 miles. So they fed him and showed him to a room where he slept, until he was awakened by the tradition of the monks walking through the hallway singing Christmas carols on their way to midnight Mass.”

That was all he needed for assurance.

His failings academically continued to present obstacles in fulfilling his vocation with the Capuchin Order and because of them the friars chose to ordain him as a “simplex priest.” He could not hear confessions and could not deliver regular sermons during the year. It didn’t matter. His journey and the peace he found on that Christmas Eve 1896 solidified his faith and future as a Capuchin under the religious name of Solanus.

His first assignment as an ordained priest was a church in New York where he was given the job of doorkeeper or greeter. Many would call it menial work, but Solanus embraced his duties and everyone he greeted at the door.

Before long it was Solanus they came to see.

“He was a good listener,” said Father Larry Webber, director of the Solanus Casey Center, a ministry of the Capuchin Franciscan Friars and co-vice postulator for the canonization of Father Solanus. At times, he did nothing else but listen to each person who came to see him, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., asking for his help. When it became apparent that many of these parishioners’ prayers were being answered including some incredible healings, the number of people seeking Solanus grew.

When the hundreds became thousands, he was moved.

Back to Detroit he came with instructions to keep a written log of the petitions (prayers) made and of the positive results received. The secretary at the monastery was also advised to keep a record. Upon his return he was made an assistant porter with the idea that no one would know he was there. This was not the case. As the secretary noted in her records, “It’s been now two or three weeks since Father Solanus arrived. Prior to his arrival we saw 12 to 15 people a day. We are now well over 200 or 300 a day.”

“People sensed his presence,” said Merling. “So they put another person on the door to help manage the visitors.”

Why was he sent to Detroit?

The Capuchin archives are filled with reasons - from the mother who was told she would never bear children to the little boy with polio who walked out of the hospital after being visited by Father Solanus. Yet it became most obvious that he was a great gift to Detroit at Christmastime 1925.

Orders for new cars had dropped sharply and by December a number of auto plants in the city were closed. Thousands of workers were without a paycheck and everyone felt the loss, from the families without money to the businesses they would frequent. The few plants that were operating were cutting back their hours. Family man John McKenna, who worked for Chevrolet, was among those who feared that he would be spending Christmas looking for a job. Knowing a miracle was needed McKenna asked Father Solanus if he could enroll the company in the Seraphic Mass Association, which would have Capuchins around the world praying for Chevrolet? Pray for a company? After a moment’s thought Father Solanus agreed knowing how many people it would impact.

Two nights later, McKenna returned with surprising news. Not only did he put in for overtime two days in a row, but Chevrolet received an order for 45,000 machines, wanted in 30 days. The company was saved. Not long after, all of the city’s auto plants returned to full shifts. It was a Christmas McKenna’s family and many others would never forget.

He’s yet to be declared a saint by the Vatican.

But in the eyes of those he’s helped, he’s already considered a saint.